Not Applicable.
Not Applicable.
The present invention relates generally to cleaning devices for computers and computer accessories. More specifically, the present invention relates to a cleaning device for a computer mouse or similar pointing device.
Computer users will be familiar with the device known as a xe2x80x9cmouse,xe2x80x9d which is an input device used to move a xe2x80x9cpointerxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cmouse cursorxe2x80x9d around the monitor. A mouse is constructed of a housing, the bottom of which has a removable retaining ring with a circular port therein. A trackball, typically made of rubber coated metal, partially protrudes through the circular port. The remainder of the trackball occupies a cavity inside the mouse containing several position rollers. There are typically three position rollers, two of which serve to report horizontal and vertical movement to the computer and a third, shorter roller that provides a biasing force to hold the trackball in contact with the other two. When the mouse is used, the trackball rolls along a working surface, rotating the position rollers and sending horizontal and vertical motion information to the computer. Unfortunately, the trackball also picks up foreign matter, such as hair, lint, dirt, and other particles from the working surface. This foreign matter accumulates inside the mouse cavity and on the position rollers. The foreign matter impedes contact between the trackball and the position roller and impedes rotation of the position roller, thereby degrading the performance of the mouse over time. A simple solution to this problem is to periodically purchase a new mouse. This will become expensive, as a computer mouse typically costs between eight and fifty dollars depending on its features. Cleaning the position rollers inside the mouse is therefore a much more affordable, albeit more difficult, alternative.
The prior art has provided several different devices and methods for attempting to remove foreign matter from a computer mouse. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,673,440 and 4,760,618 to Chapin, Jr. teach a Velcro trackball and working surface designed to pick the dust and dirt off of the position rollers and deposit it on the working surface, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,985,042 to Fiedler teaches a scrubbing trackball that performs a similar function when rolled on an ordinary surface. However, these devices may re-deposit dirt and dust inside the cavity during use, may not uniformly clean the position roller, and must be cleaned frequently.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,970,559 to Christy teaches a cleaning device with a Velcro scrubbing surface that is designed to clean the entire surface of the position roller easily and that can clean all position rollers simultaneously. However, use of this device could lead to damage to the surface or alignment of the position rollers, especially the biasing position roller, and does not necessarily solve the problem of non-uniform cleaning.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,418,999 to Smith attempts to solve the non-uniform cleaning problem by providing a brush similar to a pipe cleaner. Though this device is less likely to damage the position rollers, the narrow cleaning surface makes it extremely difficult to clean all areas or even distinguish between cleaned and uncleaned surfaces. Furthermore, the narrow cleaning surface may only push the accumulated dirt and dust along the length of the position roller rather than releasing or collecting it therefrom.
It is in view of the above problems that the present invention was developed. The invention is a cleaning device for a computer mouse or other pointing device that can clean the entire surface of a position roller quickly, easily, completely, and without damage to the workings of the mouse. The device has a body portion, a motor, and a cleaning head that includes a drive wheel in communication with the motor for spinning the position rollers and cleaning discs for releasing accumulated dirt and dust into the cavity.
In the preferred embodiment of the invention, a shaft extends from the motor and into the cleaning head, terminating in a pinion gear. The pinion gear meshes with a drive gear on the drive wheel so that rotation of the motor is transformed into rotation of the drive wheel, which is in turn transformed into rotation of the position roller inside the mouse. The friction between the drive wheel and the position roller can be increased by surrounding the diameter of the drive wheel with an elastomeric material. Two cleaning discs with rowelled edges are provided, one to either side of the drive wheel, to release the accumulated dirt and dust from the position roller and into the cavity. The cleaning head which is of a narrower diameter than the body portion of the device and which is offset from the center thereof, cleans the entire length of the position rollers.
The present invention provides a cleaning device that can rapidly, simply, and uniformly clean the position rollers inside a computer mouse without damaging the workings of the computer mouse.
The present invention also provides a cleaning device that will release rather than collect the accumulated dirt and dust from the position rollers inside a computer mouse such that it cannot become re-deposited during the cleaning process.
The present invention further provides a cleaning device that will ensure the entire surface of a position roller inside a computer mouse is cleaned.
Further advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the description below with reference to the accompanying drawings in which like numbers indicate like elements.